New type of protective order: Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs)

Last year the Oregon legislature approved a new type of protection order, ERPO, Extreme Risk Protection Order. According to a memo from Everytown, “Extreme risk protection orders -- also called gun violence restraining orders -- enable courts to temporarily prohibit a person from having guns if law enforcement or immediate family members show that he poses a significant danger to himself or others. ERPO laws have been shown to reduce suicide rates by providing an opportunity to intervene and prevent a person from accessing firearms during a time of crisis, before dangerous warning signs escalate into firearm suicide.”

The petitioner can be either an intimate partner, immediate family, or household member of a respondent, OR a law enforcement officer. A petitioner may seek an ERPO when they believe the respondent presents a risk of suicide and/or of causing physical injury to another person in the near future. A respondent has the right to request a hearing, and the court must hold the hearing within 21 days of the request. Orders are valid for one year unless renewed or terminated.

ERPOs may have applicability in domestic violence situations. For more information, please contact your local courts. ERPOs should be available in each county, along with other types of orders of protection such as FAPA, EPDAPA, and stalking protection orders.